Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-15

and the detectives saw him mount the steps
of his house, open the door with pass key
and 90 quietly in. Nothing more was seen
of him that night,
The whole adventure was queer and per
picking hut it was difficult to establish from
it any connection between Mr.. Smith and
the Manhattan Bank robbery. The men
whom he had met in the riverside saloon
were not of the stamp that usually take
part in bank urglaries-enterprises which
demand for their successful accomplish
ment not only ingenuity and daring, but
considerable mechanical skill and knowl-
edge as we'll Bank burglars are generally of
some education and AXE the first rank i'll
the criminal profession. But these men be
longed to much lower order. 1t was per
haps conceivable that Mr.. Smith was himself
the mechanical genius and OPERATOR and
that he had merely used the others to assist
or protect him. But such hypothesis, If con
ceivable, was in the highest degree ilnproba-
BILE why should he run the risk of doing
a thing which he could get some one else
to do as well or better for him? For that
matter. however, why should he have Lad
ANYTHING to do with the affair at all Every
thing contradicted thu hypothesis that he
was in any strait for money, and there was
no case on record of wealthy man helping
thieves to perpetrate Il bank burglary mere
" from motive of friendly good will to
| them.
And yet, again if he were not in leguae
with outlaws, how was then ndoubted TACT OF
association with them to be explained?
Could any innocent motive have impelled
him to keep rendezvous with such men i'll
one of the lowest slums in the city,
The watch upon him was kept up, but
for a long while it resulted in nothing else
of any significance Mr.. Smiths life seem
ed absolutely uneventful He was seldom
out later than eleven O'Clock at night, nor
did he reappear much before that hour i'll
| the morning Some efforts that were made
to fathom the mystery by approaching the
servants in the house met with no success.
| The servants were three in number, all
women. The difficulty with them evidently
was not that they were indisposed to talk,
but that they had nothing to say They
knew nothing about their master that
could be considered peculiar or stimulating.
Their wages We're puucutall 9ald; they
were allowed their full complement of even
ings out and holidays, and no restrictions
placed on their entertaining friends below
stairs. Very few people ever called to see
| Mr.. Smith, and those few were apparently
business men. who conVerscd with INN III
the sitting room and remained but short
time. Mr.. Smith for "A bachelor was reg
ular in his habits. He always breaktasted
at home, and generally dned there. He
drank wine at his meals but seldom more
than a bottle 1t was his custom to lunch
abroad, however and to go out i'll the even
ing On the occasions when he went out of
town their wages ran on and they were left
in charge of the house. 1t was rare for him
| oil, pal
at time and oftener he away for
few days only. When he was at home in
doors he spent his time partly i'll smoking
and reading the newspapers and partly i'll
writing But whether what he wrote was
! letters or something else they could not tell.
| In the midst of these rather protitlesS
proceedings Mr. Smith all at once bought
a ticket to Chicago by the limited express,
and started for that city the same after
noon.
The significance of this circumstance lay
in the fact that, day or two previous, a
mau who was known to be professional
thief, and who was suspected of having had
a hand in the Manhattan job, had appeared
in Chicago, and his presence there had been
telegraphed to the authorities in New York.
That Mr.. Smith should happen to take a
fancy to visit that city at the same time
looked like something more than "A coinci-
dence and his movements were observed
with no small interest.
Mr.. Smith took hack to the Palmer
House, where he registered hi real name,
took bath and changed his clothes. To-
ward evening he issued forth and prone
naded down the principal streets, with the
shadows in full pursuit. In the neighbor-
hood of the Post-ofice he met the profess
IL,
they walked along together till they came
to certain large oyster saloon in "A corner
basement. Here they took their seats at
a table in an alcove, and Mr.. Smith or
dered broil and a bottle of champagne
One of the detectives sauntered in a
minute later, glanced carelessly around, and
after some apparent hesitation, took the
table in the adjoining alcove, which was
separated from the other by board par
tition. The first corners We're unconscious
of his proximity. The waiter brought
the gentlemen their order, and while dis
cussing it they entered into a confidential
conversation, carried on for the most
part in an undertone: but occasionally such
words as ,'bank'', vault, " securities. y
and so forth We're heard and caused the
detective to sharpen his ears to the utmost.
The first bottle of champagne was fin
shed, and the waiter was dispatched for
another Meanwhile the detective. under
cover of getting a bottle of sauce from a
table on the opposite side of the saloon, was
able to get into position where he saw
the professional hand to Mr. Smith a fold
ed paper that bore strong resemblance to
IA United States bond. Mr. Smith put the
bond in his pocket, and then, taking out a
notebook, opened it at Il certain page and
ran his finger down column of figures.
The detective was by this time returning
with the sauce, and he perceived that the
figures We're nothing less than a list of bonds
and other securities. In moment Mr..
Smith said, 81 don't find it here"
Its right, all the same, " replied the
other "You made mistake in copying -
Il guess not, said Mr.. Smith; II was
extra careful.
well I'll tell you what settle it, ans
wered his companion, pulling what must
have been handful of letters and small
papers out of his pocket, land that the
| mint ,1